by: Gregory Fort

Excessive toy clutter upon a swimming pool deck or the areas around a built-in pool can lead to falls and serious injuries. Keeping the swimming deck areas clear will help reduce the risk of unnecessary falls. Children tend to pull out all of the pool toys then swap their preferences all day long. Moms and dads, doubling as life guards, have a constant job described as toy sorter.

Wooden decks adjacent swimming pools are notorious for being slippery. With children getting in and out constantly, the pool deck can quickly become an ice skating rink. If the deck is also cluttered with multiple rafts, noodles, beach balls, ducks and float rings, the chance of slipping on the deck increases.

Many people choose to throw their toys over the side of the pool into the yard. The toys may be out of the way, but when the kids use them again, they bring grass and dirt back into the pool. An alternative to throwing the toys overboard is to somehow neatly store them near the swimming area.

If your deck is large, and you don't mind giving up deck space, products are available both locally and online. The bench seat with storage underneath and separate container products both allow for storage of smaller toys and accessories such as goggles and fins. Both of these storage

The problem is where to put the toys, and keep them within reach, while people are swimming.

Kathleen Pike, the creator of Pool-Pockets, said "Dragging toys up from underneath the deck several times a day just wasn't working." The solution was to find a product that hung over the outside railing of the deck. Pike said she searched on the internet for available products but only found storage bins that take up precious deck space. That's when the idea began to create her own design.

"Since our pool deck is a main summer entertainment area, I wanted to create a storage system that complemented the nautical look of the deck" Pike said. Used fishing nets and natural hemp roping were selected as suitable materials. Pike then created a design by weaving used nets together and accenting them with shells and starfish.

After receiving many favorable comments on the Pool-Pockets, Pike was encouraged to further develop her product for sale. Many prototype pockets were created to perfect the weaving technique to make the pockets hang straight. The rope used to weave the pockets added another element of design. "Natural hemp rope must be whipped at the ends or the rope will fray" Pike said. "The new pockets are strong, attractive and provide a way to easily store pool toys out of the way" she said.

Pike currently sells three sizes of Pool-Pockets on the internet. Her original design was 4 ft. x 4 ft. to accommodate several pool rafts and noodles. Pike then added a 4 ft. x 8 ft. design for families with many pool toys to keep organized. One thing Pike noticed last year was small toys, such as snorkels and masks, collected at the bottom of the deep pockets making retrieval difficult. She has since designed a smaller, 2 ft x 2 ft pocket for small toys and accessories.

For additional information about Pool-Pockets, including photos and ordering information, you can visit Pike's website at www.pool-pockets.com.